Denver Broncos receiver Jaylen Waddle was mostly used as a decoy against the Rams, but he may have suffered an injury.
The Denver Broncos managed to get a hard-fought win over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday night, but they may have paid a price that few people outside of Denver are aware of just yet.
According to a report from Parker Gabriel of the Denver Post, receiver Jaylen Waddle was spotted wearing a walking boot after the game, but coach Sean Payton immediately tried to downplay the significance of this during his media availability on Wednesday when he covered the team's injuries.
Waddle was listed as a full participant in practice on Wednesday, but the possible discrepancy speaks to the way many NFL teams play fast and loose with their injury reports. Payton said Waddle is “doing great,” and he followed up by telling the media that they’d be “amazed” at how many players wear a walking boot after a tough game.
Be that as it may, reporters saw what they saw. Payton then did a total end-around on the issue, saying the Broncos need to find a way to avoid Waddle walking through the team parking lot with a boot on and asking followup questions about his injury status.
The league may or may not look into this, as NFL followup tends to be sporadic at best. Waddle was mostly used as a decoy against the Rams, but he did catch a vital two-point conversion pass as the Broncos came from behind to tie the game at 16-16 after being shut out in the first half.
The play involved a double move, which took time, but quarterback Bo Nix was somehow able to fit the ball into a window that didn’t seem to exist. The NFL posted a video of the play, and Nix was caught on a live mic saying he “threw it to a spot praying.”
Gabriels’s report also included additional injury information, with linebacker Dondrea Tillman missing practice due to a hamstring injury. He’s considered day to day, with the big news being about receiver/return man Marvin Mims Jr. being back at practice.
The Broncos have missed Mims badly in the return game, and they have a tough road game this Sunday against the undefeated San Francisco 49ers.
Gabriel also listed the 49ers injuries, which included LT Trent Williams (neck), Nick Bosa (calf), Mike Evans (ribs), Dre Greenlaw (quad), Christian McCaffrey (vet rest) and Keion White (hamstring). Running back J.K. Dobbins also returned to practice for Denver after dealing with a hip issue as the Broncos go through their final practices.
